Brian Alvey: Living without soda

When I was in high school I drank Coca Cola like a fiend. When I was in college I was thrilled when three-liter bottles came out. After college I hit my largest weight ever, 225 pounds. Not good.

Around the time I met Niki, I was drinking up to two two-liter bottles a day. I knew all the caffeine and sugar were bad for me, but I was hooked. I knew I couldn't quit the caffeine, but I decided to ditch the sugar by switching to Diet Coke. The only trouble was that I didn't like the taste.

I was consulting at Business Week and they had Diet Cherry Coke in the soda machines, so I drank those and over time alternated in some Diet Cokes until I was used to the diet taste. Sipping a regular Coke was no longer an option. It was too sweet. My plan worked, sort of. Over two or three years I lost 63 pounds, down to 162. Just from switching to diet soda and hitting a rowing machine twice a week.

My new problem was that I was drinking up to two two-liter bottles of Diet Coke a day.

I tried limiting my Diet Cokes to one can in the morning and one in the afternoon, but that wasn't easy. If I was stressed in the afternoon, one can would get immediately followed by a second. I tried little games like having a tall cup of water in between sodas, but I would just chug the water so I could start that next soda.

I knew it was all or nothing. I couldn't moderate it.

Last March 16, I had my last Diet Coke, my last soda ever. Surprisingly, there were still more cans in the garage. I just stopped. I did the same thing I did with chocolate when I was a pudgy kid. I convinced myself that Diet Coke was toxic, that I didn't like the taste, that it was taking years off of my life, that it causes cancer.

And it worked.

I still drink iced tea. I still get some caffeine almost every day, but nowhere near as much as I used to get wired on -- and it's the weakest iced tea you'll ever see someone drink, mostly water.

I had a sip of Diet Coke at a birthday party last September where there was no water or tea available and it was the nastiest thing. I poured the rest of the cup out.

I didn't even properly commemorate the one year anniversary when it happened.

Screw soda. I won.

Comments (11)

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Christopher Finke 136 days ago

I did the same thing with broccoli, so I can vouch for your method's effectiveness.
Gabe 136 days ago

It was never a "problem" for me, so I never resolved to stop drinking Diet Coke. But that happened anyway. Because one day this year while drinking it I realized that it tasted disgusting and I hated it. The funny thing is I still have 3 12-packs I bought on sale before the epiphany taking up space in my kitchen. If anyone near Menlo Park, CA wants some diet coke, let me know. :-)
Brian Alvey 136 days ago

The volume of empty cans and bottles was freaking people out since no one else here was drinking Diet Coke. Otherwise, I'd have thought it was normal. ;-)
Dorie 136 days ago

Happy Anniversary! Good trade off per serving: 48 mg. flavonoids (antioxidant - good for the heart) instead of 48 mg. phosphorus (too much leaches calcium - bad for bones & heart). Really, it's your Virginia heritage showing. Iced tea is a beverage REQUIREMENT in the south. Yum. I've come to realize that Splenda is not my friend anymore...I'll just have saccharine in my very-occasional iced tea or regularly have fruit juice and seltzer. The seltzer takes care of the carbonation craving.
Brian Alvey 136 days ago

Yeah, I get my bubbles from Pellegrino these days.
Joanna 136 days ago

I have not had that problem because i dont even drink pop in the beginning so ha
Jackie 135 days ago

Throw the old ones out - the aspartame breaks down from both age and heat.
Jeremiah 133 days ago

Congratulations. Do you drink anything else besides iced tea? I could do without the caffine, but i like how Coke tastes, and haven't found a pleasing alternative.
Brian Alvey 133 days ago

Strangely, I now exclusively drink water, Pellegrino, beer, orange juice and iced tea. Nothing else I can think of in the last year.
It sounds boring and limited, but it works for me!
Keith 102 days ago

Never knew you were in SA - Soda Anonymous. I have been "clean" myself for almost 2 years and never looked back. The one thing I do miss is a nice home grown root beer once and a while. :)
"lost 63 ponds"
WTF am i doing wrong? That didn't happen to me. You must have a bionic rowing machine.
Kudos.
KAP
Jim S. 99 days ago

I learned not drink soda when you are working in the sun and its 95 degrees out.

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